April 9^th   -   Monday

It was a nice day to drive cattle 15 miles. We drove the cows home from the cornstalks to the ranch. Our son Cody, a friend of his and some neighbors helped us. I refer to them as neighbors, although some of them traveled nearly 90 miles to come and help. One fellow came from Oklahoma and got up at 3:30 in the morning in order to get his chores done and his horse saddled and ready to go.

The cows drove well. We had two highways and one railroad track to cross. All three carry a lot of traffic. We waited at the first highway for a deputy to come and stop traffic. Finally we blocked traffic ourselves and crossed the highway. After 3 miles, we came to a creek that was about 3 feet deep. The cows were not thrilled at first to cross. We had to go upstream a bit and try again.

The next and biggest challenge was going under the train trestle. We had decided to go under the bridge instead of over the tracks. That turned out to be a bad decision. Cody was in leading the cattle and made it through the tunnel all right. There were a couple feet of water to go through, but we had not taken into consideration that the dirt that was left was all silt. The cows finally made it through, except for three of them. They got bogged down in the mud. Cody and Kelly roped the cows around the horns and pulled them all out. We considered ourselves very fortunate at this point! We let the herd sit a bit and then went on to cross under the other highway. This tunnel was dry, so there was no problem with getting stuck. It was a long tunnel, so Cody spent a little bit of time calling them through. Once the first cows started through, the rest followed right along.

One old "grandma" cow decided she had had enough of the adventure to suit her. She did have plenty of energy, but was just too smart for her own good. She lagged behind and two of us coaxed her along, riding close with our horses. We rode with the front legs of the horses pushing against her rump. Soon we crossed a field where we were to stop for lunch. Since Joe is crippled up, he had brought the pickup and trailer around with the lunch for us. We drove the cow up on the road, and opened the gates on the trailer. Three of us looked at each other, I thought it would be funny if she just walked on in the trailer. We knew she was old and smart enough she might. She did!

We ate lunch and let the cows drift; we then started out again. Only one other cow sulled up and decided to quit on us. She was not in the mood to walk in the trailer, so we roped her and put her in.

Seven hours later we made it to the ranch. The cows were glad to see the green grass. We took the neighbors and their horses back to their trailers and checked some of the other cattle.

Later in the evening we went out to check the five cows that we roped and pulled out of the mud. They seemed to be doing OK. It is good to have them back home. Several will be calving in a few days.

April 12^th   -   Thursday

We branded 30 head of calves that we will be shipping to pasture in Oklahoma next week. They are our partnership cattle in Kiowa County. Since we needed only 30 head out of the 300 head plus herd, we sorted off 30 head of pairs in the pasture instead of trying to gather all the cows and their new small babies. It took some doing to get the 30 we wanted, but it worked out. J.L., our partner, and his 75-year-old father sorted off most of the pairs. I helped hold them in bunches and then drive the pairs they sorted off to the other side of the pasture. J.L.'s mother was there as well as his 9-year-old son and Laramie who is now 5. They helped push the pairs to the other side of the pasture and hold them.

It took longer than we expected to gather them. After we got to the corral, Joe was there to help sort the mamas away from the babies. We also had 3 cows, which had big teats that needed milked out. We milked them out to make them smaller and hope the calf will get started nursing on them and keep them in shape himself.

We then got the branding underway at 5:00. Eric roped several. We took time to let J.L. help him. He did a good job. He even roped the last calf all by himself. It always seems like the last calf is the toughest one to get. We were all surprised when the rope dropped on; he dallied up and drug the calf out of the pen. We branded and vaccinated the calves and then moved them out to another pasture. Tomorrow I will be sore!

April 16^th   -   Monday

This morning we sorted our yearlings that have been in a starter yard all winter long to grow. They were sold over the Internet and will be delivered to the buyer on Thursday. The heifers needed to be separated from the steers, so Joe and I headed north to get it done. The facilities weren't big enough to hold all of the cattle at once, so we had to go about it from several different angles and hope for the best. Right off the start we got several heifers sorted off, and then were able to bring in a few heifers horseback. This system was falling apart, so we tried bringing in as many as possible and sorting them back and forth. It was a slow process, but finally we got them sorted off.

From there we went to Lee Hawes Ranch to help him. We gathered a large pasture and sorted off his longhorn cows to go into another pasture. I had an interesting experience. If anyone had seen me, I would have been good comic material. One cow and calf would not go with the bunch. Joe nearly had the rest of the herd to the corrals. I pushed the cow and young calf along. As we came to a dry creek bank, the cow went on down, but the calf stayed on top. The cow acted a bit like she might get on the hook and I debated whether to get off of my horse or not.

I finally got off. I pushed the calf on down the bank and was going to jump back on my horse quickly. I noticed a distinct problem. My chaps had fallen down from my hips to around my knees. The strap around the waist had broken. The calf came back up the creek bank and boogered my horse. I knew I was in a bad position now. I couldn't gather my chaps back up and get on a spooky horse with a calf under his legs. There was a tree nearby, so I quickly waddle-ran to the tree. The cow was right behind me. She picked up her calf and went the other direction. I had hoped no one saw the whole scene from atop the hill! It had to be a sight. It was just another event in the day. I brought the pair in; we sorted the cows and moved them out to another pasture.

Next we gathered another pasture and moved them. These were the cows that we have leased to Lee for the year. We were pleasantly surprised to see a few new babies. One was very young, and several times I had to get off my horse to nudge him along.

Joe had a mishap just before we went out of the gate. Some old wire in a fence row got tangled around Yeller's legs. Joe still has his arm in a sling from surgery two weeks ago. The wire caught the horse up high in the leg and he spooked. It pulled him down to the ground twice. Joe was able to calm him down and get off. Luckily he didn't cut any tendons, but the cut is serious enough to put the horse out to pasture for a month or so. It is always hard to see a horse hurt, especially when you work together with them everyday. There is a sort of comradery between a cowboy and his horse.

Joe led Yeller to the trailer and Lee and I moved the cows to the new pasture. We gathered another pasture of cows that are to be shipped tomorrow. Joe borrowed one of Lee's horses. These cows are calving, so we had to cover every nook and cranny of the pasture to make sure we didn't leave one behind that was off calving.

I was tired when we got home. We put the horses up, made supper and went to bed.

April 18^th   -   Wednesday

Joe checked the cows, which are now calving seriously while I worked around the house. It was Lee's turn to come help us out. We gathered a pasture of cows and sorted them. Most of them will be shipped to Lee's Ranch for the summer. We sorted off 67 longhorns and pushed them out to new pasture. Afterwards we spent some time visiting with Lee, which is always a treat. Later in the evening, some neighbors came by to pick up their dog that comes visiting quite often. We visited with them for a couple of hours. Neighbors are always good folks to visit with.

April 19^th   -   Thursday

We shipped the cows that we sorted off yesterday. It took the semi truck two trips. While he was hauling, Joe and I went to gather in ten pairs. Their calves were too young to bring in the day before. We worked them along easy; trying to make sure they were paired up. Usually a good mama will act as if she doesn't have a calf if it is hid out. She will try to act inconspicuous. We had to take one such mama back to get her calf out of a plum thicket. She didn't acknowledge her calf was around until Joe got off his horse and drug the calf out of the plums. We went at a slow pace and got them all to the corrals to sort them off to different pastures.

Joe went over to Kiowa County to string some fence wire. Laramie and I spent some time painting designs on the "Indian Tepee" that Joe made for him a few months ago. He and Laramie cut down young trees for the poles and used canvas tarp for the hide portion of the tepee. We have had a lot of strong wind this spring, and the tepee is still standing.

April 20^th   -   Friday

It was another day on horseback. I saddled a horse for myself and Laramie's horse for Joe. We moved cows and calves about 3 miles horseback to another pasture. We dropped by and picked up J.L. and his horse. One cow had to be left behind because she had just calved. We headed the other cows out the backside of the pasture. One calf wouldn't stay with his mama and was too young to travel. Laramie was on his horse when the calf began following him. I thought this would be an easy way to lead the calf closer to the trailer where we could load him and give him a ride to the new pasture. Cimarron, Laramie's horse, didn't think much of the little calf running underneath him. He kicked high and jumped down in a dry hole. Laramie hung on, but he wasn't thrilled with the ride. The calf followed my horse to the trailer for his free ride. Another calf had lain down in some tall grass to hide just outside the pasture. Joe and I found him, caught him and took him to the trailer.

J.L. had gone on ahead to slow the cows down. I loped on through the tall grass. I spied a nice shed off of a mule deer, so I stopped quickly and picked up the antler. All went smooth until another calf started lagging behind. I caught him and loaded him and rode off. Joe was trying to get him in another trailer compartment, when he got loose. J.L. came back to rope the calf and put him in the trailer while I held the cows up.

When we got to the pasture, we held the cows, unloaded the calves and made sure they paired up before we went on to fix some fence.

April 21^st   -   Saturday

Cody has a High School Rodeo at Lain, KS today. He was up early to fix some fence and do some of the outside chores before he and Joe left. Laramie and I went to the neighbor's house to have a Bible Story. We checked on our older neighbor friend on the way back to the house. We enjoy good neighbors and their company. Jesse is a very special neighbor to us.

Laramie took an afternoon nap while I did bookwork, and then we were off to church. It seems very odd to have church on Saturdays, but since we don't have a pastor right now, we are grateful for the opportunity to worship no matter what day it is.

April 28^th   -   Saturday

Joe, Cody and Laramie went to a rodeo in Canton, KS. I stayed home to play the organ for church.

May 4^th   -   Friday

A panel fell down in the corrals today. It had an important function, to keep the bulls in. Joe and I went horseback to find the bulls and sort them off of the cows. We will not breed our cows until later. We like to calve late in the spring when the weather is nice and the cows had an abundance of green grass at the same time they have a peak demand for nutrients.

We found two of the bulls off by themselves and the rest were in with the cows. We gathered the cows and sorted the bulls off.

May 5 - 6^th   -   Saturday and Sunday

We all were able to go to Cody's rodeo. It had rained all night on Friday, so the arena was a muddy mess. He bucked off his bull on Saturday, but made a decent ride on Sunday. Saturday was also Cowboy Prom. Most of the rodeo kids miss their hometown proms because of the spring rodeo schedule, so a special one is held for them. Joe, Laramie and I basked in a motel room in front of a T.V. with pizza while Cody went to Prom.

May 7^th   -   Monday

It was a slow day for me. My back is bothering me again, so I simply hauled the horses and a few pairs for the guys today. Joe and J.L. moved cows and calves 5 miles over to the Hall ground. I followed with the trailer and pickup after they got on the main road. They had sorted off several pair that had brand new babies on them. The trip would have been too much for them, and made the drive slow and difficult. They loaded one other baby that kept laying down, ready for a rest.

After we got there, J.L. held the cows to pair up while Joe and I made a quick fix on a stretch of fence that needed repairs. They then rode the other pasture to check on the new water system they had put down. There was a small leak, but it seemed to be working well enough to use. We saw several different bunches of deer in the West Pasture. There were nearly 30 in all.

Joe rode the cows at the ranch when we got back.

May 8^th   -   Tuesday

Joe had a busy day. He moved the cows to a different paddock on the ranch and gathered two cows that are being leased and shipped to Maine. He took the cows to the veterinary, 30 miles away, to be bangs tested. Bangs is a disease that is nearly eradicated, but still requires testing for interstate shipment of cattle.

When he returned, he gathered the young colts and hauled them to summer pasture. After he went around the fence and turned them out, he returned home to gather the roping cattle. A customer is coming tomorrow to pick up 6 head of ropers. He sorted them off for the fellow.

Cody is graduating from High School on Sunday. We are having a BBQ for him. It has encouraged us to do a little outside work on the house. We worked on the siding of our new addition until dark.

It was a very long day for Joe.

May 9^th   -   Wednesday

Joe went to Wichita for a check up on his shoulder surgery. I stayed home to sell the roping cattle Joe sorted yesterday. Even though my back has kept me from the hard physical work, it has encouraged me to get some projects done. I finished a curtain for two windows and got more bookwork done.

Most of the morning I spent helping Laramie try to put his training wheels on his bicycle. We finally just put on one training wheel and took the other off. Our driveway is so rough and rutted, that two training wheels made riding impossible.

This evening, once again, Joe worked on the roof and the siding of the new addition. As I was putting the tools away, I saw our yellow bull had gotten out of the corrals. Joe was able to shake a bucket of cake and cake the other bulls. Luckily the Yellow bull came right back in. Joe fixed the fence while I locked the horses in he will need tomorrow. He made it to bed at 10:00, since he will have to be up at 4:30 to help a rancher in Oklahoma brand his calves.

May 10^th   -   Thursday

Joe left early for Oklahoma. I did the chores, which consisted of graining the saddle horses, one stud and the bulls. I was not much surprised to see that the yellow bull was gone again. I spent the rest of the day working on some cleaning and some sewing.

May 11^th   -   Friday

I went out this morning to do the chores, only to find four bulls were gone this morning. I realized I had not seen a hole in the far fence. I grained the horses and saddled one for Joe and myself while he was stretching up some electric fence where he will move the cows next. We found three bulls and got them in easily. We looked and looked for the yellow bull, but had no success. I am sure he will show up soon.

Joe's parents and sister came for Cody's graduation, which will be on Sunday.

A neighbor called to say he had spotted a yellow bull. I knew exactly which animal he was talking about!

Cody came home and worked on the yard and the siding most of the afternoon. Joe got home just in time to hear the news of the bull. It was nearly dark, so the bull was left for tomorrow. Joe and Cody went to Liberal to a bull riding. I was glad to stay at home.

May 12^th   -   Saturday

Cody did well at the bull riding. He won the average and $874.00. They were home late, but got up early to get the yellow bull in. They left him in the trailer, in confinement. Sometimes this helps to keep them at home later.

We all left for Cody's High School rodeo in McPherson. Since he will graduate on Sunday, he was allowed to ride two bulls today, one for Saturday and one for Sunday. He bucked off one and scored a 69 for third place on the other. We got home at midnight.

May 13^th   -   Sunday

Today is a big day! Cody graduated from High School. We hurried around to get last minute things done in the house and get the chores done. In the evening we had a BBQ.

May 14^th   -   Monday

Laramie was overjoyed to have the neighbor kids over to play. They managed to get muddy from head to toe, catching tadpoles in mud holes in the barnyard.

I spent the day sewing up hide pillows. If we have an old cow, which needs to be butchered because she is no longer productive or unthrifty, we have tried to salvage as much as we can from them. We keep their skulls, work them up, and also have their hides tanned. We have been marketing the hides as whole hides for rugs, wall hangings, etc as well as making pillows from them. I am finally figuring out a few tricks to make things go more smoothly.

May 15^th   -   Tuesday

A bull gored our paint stud early this morning. At least, that is what appears to have happened. We are hoping he will heal quickly and do all right.

May 17^th   -   Thursday

Joe went to Kiowa County to check the cattle and the water. We have had some very warm days and checking water availability every day is a must. In the evening, the horseshoer came and shoed Yeller and Jack.

May 28^th   -   Monday

We took a nature walk tonight. We went up to our favorite place, the beaver pond to see what changes have taken place. I finally saw the beaver. He came swimming across the pond rather speedily. When he caught sight of us, he was gone. We saw their den. Last winter it was only a hole in the bank, but this spring they have covered the entrance with piles of sticks and branches. (See the picture below). We continued on north and looked at the range conditions there. It has been an abundant year for the cool season grasses of cheat and Western Wheat.

May 30^th & 31^st   -   Wednesday & Thursday

Joe and I attended a grazing school in a nearby town. It is always a good review to go over concepts and share ideas. The speakers were informative and very practical. It rained hard Wednesday night and tore out some water gaps. Fortunately, none of the water gaps were in pastures where the cows are now. We were able to ignore the problem and go to the school. On Friday evening, Joe checked the cows and put some of the water gaps back in.

Put Online:   6/01

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